Hoop-lug



(No Model.)-

11. M. LOURIE.

HOOP LUG- No. 375,825. Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

un knew w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT M. LOURIE, OF KEOKUK, IOWA.

HOOP-LUG.

ESPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 375,825, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed May 20, 1857. Serial No. 238,928. (No model.)

To all whom it 17mg concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT M. LOURIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Keokuk, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoop-Lugs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of devices whose office it is to connect together the two ends of a metallic hoop; and its object is to provide a base of attachment into which the two ends of the hoop may be readily and conveniently laid in the act of wrapping the hoop around the tank or other vessel, and against the ends of which screw-nuts upon the ends of the hoop may be brought to bear in tightening the hoop, and through which stoppins may be passed to secure the ends of the hoop in the said base.

To this end the invention consists in a basepiece constituting the hooplng, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hoop-lug constructed according to myinvention, with portions of a hoop in position for service. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3

, is an end view of the lug only.

5 represents the body of the lug, consisting of a simple metallic casting. it has two grooves, 6 6, in its outer face, bounded by the side walls, 7 8, the central partition, 9, and the bottom 10. The grooves 6 serve as receptacles for the ends 11 of the hoop. One end of the wall 7 and the adjacent end of the partition 9 serve as a bearing for a nut, 12, which is threaded onto one end of the hoop 11, and the opposite end of the wall 8 and the end adjacent thereto of the partition 9 serve as a bearing for another nut, 13, similarly screw-threaded onto the other end of the same hoop,11. At the not end of each groove 6 its bottom 10 is so thick as to support the hoop at a distance from the tank 14 to permit the nut to be freely turned by a wrench, while the same bottom at the other end of the groove is so thin as to permit the hoop to assume a straight line within the lug, tangent to the first point of contact of the hoop and tank.

15 represents washers, which may be used, if desired, between the nuts and the ends of the lug.

16 represents pinholes through the walls and partition, wherein pins 17 may be placed outside of the hoop ends to keep them in the grooves 6. The pins 17 may be common wrought nails or pieces of wire bent at their ends to retain them in the holes, and be fornished by anybody, so that the lugs may be placed on the market perforated with the holes 16, ready for any suitable pins to be inserted. Were the grooves 6 in any way permanently covered over, so as to form longitudinal perforations through the lug oblique to each other, as shown in some other similar devices, the hoop, when drawn closely around the tank, could not be laid into the lug. In that case the hoop must be somewhat loosened from the tank, so that the two ends may be drawn back and bent into lines that will enter such perforations.

In applying this lug it is never necessary to remove the screw-nuts from the ends of the hoop, and the said ends may be headed, so that the nuts cannot be lost. The hoop with the nuts on may be drawn closely around the tank with the ends passing each other; then thelug be placed close alongside the hoop ends. These ends may then be laid over into the grooves of the log, the pins 17 be put in place, and the log is ready as a base to bind the nuts against in tightening the hoop. By forming the ends of the lug constituting the seats for the nuts slightly oblique to the line of the hoopthat is, so that each end of the lug will be a little inclined to the faces of the nut and washer, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby bearing the hardest on the outer edge to crowd the nut and hoop toward the tank-the pins 17 may be dispensed with.

These lugs are suitable for use in every situation where screw-hoops are reguired for tightening vessels of wood liable to leak from shrinkage, &c.-, such as water-tanks on farms and railroads, beer-tanks, whisky-tanks, 83c.

Having thus fully described my invention, with the walls 7 and 8, and the partition 9, sepwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by arated by open grooves 6, and the pin-holes 16, Letters Patent, is and pins 17, placed through the said holes 16 1. The hoop-lug 5, formed with the walls 7 and across the said grooves 6, substantially as I5 5 and 8, the partition 9, and the open grooves shown and described, for the purpose specified.

6, substantially as shown and described. In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein 2. The hoop-lug 5, formed with the walls 7 presence of two Witnesses. and 8, and the partition 9, separated by open HERBERT M. LOURIE. grooves 6, and the pin-holes 16, substantially Witnesses: IO as shown and described. S. L. JAMES, 3. The combination of the hoop-lug 5,forn1ed J. F. SMITH. 

